WHEN Mark McGhee stopped at the departure gate of a London airport back in May, preparing to abort a planned liaison with Vladimir Romanov in Lithuania, he should have known fate would conspire to put him face to face with Hearts at the earliest opportunity. That comes tomorrow, the SPL computer decreeing that Motherwell visit Gorgie on the season's opening day.
It's the sort of quirky destiny which often seems exclusive to football, and McGhee should have expected as much when accepting John Boyle's offer of a pay rise to remain in Lanarkshire rather than decamp to Edinburgh. Romanov's pursuit of the former
Scotland internationalist failed with one very persuasive phonecall from the Motherwell chairman but, if nothing else, the episode adds a touch of spice to tomorrow's fixture.
Csaba Laszlo, the manager installed by Romanov last month, makes a competitive debut in the home dugout but just as much attention will centre around the visitors' technical area, where it's possible to imagine McGhee's public taunting in front of Tynecastle's Section N. Something along the lines of "you could have managed a big team", which, of course, he could have.
Hearts' potential to eclipse Motherwell in the coming season is undeniable given Laszlo's infectious enthusiasm for his new job. McGhee achieved a commendable third place and UEFA Cup qualification in May but must beware the dreaded "second-season syndrome" which so often afflicts clubs perceived to have punched above their weight the year before.
The hosts can't afford for their minds to wander towards what might have been. Laszlo's appointment may, in time, prove to be an even shrewder move than chasing McGhee but for now Hearts must right some of last season's wrongs. The league's opening match offers a fresh start which must take precedence over any opportunity to put one over on McGhee.
"It won't affect me and I don't think it will affect the team," said Audrius Ksanavicius, scorer of last weekend's winning goal against Hull City. "Maybe Motherwell's manager will want to show something against us. But our manager is only looking at our team. I think for supporters the situation will be interesting.
"It was very important to win the last game against Hull. Until then we had hard training sessions without winning games. Now we have won and we start to believe in our power again. The first game of the season is so important and we must win. We must believe again in our team and our ability. We all agree that qualifying for Europe is the No.1 priority this year."
Harking back to the tail end of last season gives a reminder of the despondency Laszlo has worked to clear since first meeting the Hearts squad. Ksanavicius explained that team morale is already vastly improved after merely four weeks working under the former Ferencvaros coach. "When you don't win for a long time, like us last season, you start to find problems in the team. We were angry, you know. After this, slowly, slowly, we began to play. How many games were we winning 1-0 or 2-0? We kept on going but everything was broken.
"That's why I say we are starting to believe again. When you can't win you lose this belief, you lose confidence. When the new manager came he saw this in our eyes, we have talked about it many times. Slowly we are going up. The first pre-season games we were losing, losing, but he said 'it's no problem boys, it's pre-season. When we start (the season] you will see, you must believe.' Everything has improved now.
"Since Csaba arrived, many players have started to work harder than before."
The new season is more than a potential new dawn for Hearts as a club following the McGhee saga. Ksanavicius, 31, ended last year resembling a burst couch at times as consecutive league campaigns in Lithuania and Scotland took a toll on his diminutive body.
Several months of rest and recuperation have revitalised the forward to such an extent he feels like a sprightly teenager again, which can only help Laszlo as he seeks to unearth a suitable attacking combination for Hearts.
"I played in Lithuania last year, then had a short holiday and then came here (on loan from FBK Kaunas]," said Ksanavicius. "I played nearly 60 games last season and your body just gets very tired. It's too much.
"That's why I had injuries, that's why I was ill, everything came from the number of games I had to play. For four months I hardly played and I didn't train for three months.
"I was injured and ill and there were lots of problems. I only really started training properly again in pre-season so it's still very hard for me. The break was too long.
"I watched Kaunas beat Rangers on Tuesday night.
"Like me, Rangers players also played about 60 games last season. They are very tired and you could see this against Kaunas, I think that's why they lost. Their eyes were not burning, they were not on the pitch thinking, 'I want this, I want this'. The season is only starting and after a month I hope to feel even better than I do now. After three to four months out, six weeks training is not enough for me. I've played two or three pre-season games but that's not enough either.
"Before the Hull game I didn't think I would play. The coach put me on the pitch in the starting XI and I think I tried to do everything the best. I've started to believe more in myself because of the coach. I feel like 18 again."
Ksanavicius is again likely to occupy a deep-lying forward's role behind Jamie Mole against Motherwell, while Ruben Palazuelos' one-game suspension means Laszlo must re-organise his midfield.
"I prefer playing in the middle behind the striker, you are always in the game there," said Ksanavicius when asked about his affection for the left-wing berth. "You must drop back and look to take the ball from defenders and midfielders, then you must help the striker. You also have chances to score yourself. I feel better in the middle than on the left side.
"Last season I had so many chances to score but I managed only one goal.
"I hope to score much more this season, not hit the post or the goalkeeper all the time. In my position I also have to create a pass for a team-mate to let him score. I'm not just a striker, it's my job to help create chances for other players."
The inability to convert scoring opportunities has been a source of some annoyance for Laszlo throughout Hearts' pre-season campaign. If Ksanavicius and others can eradicate this problem, starting tomorrow, McGhee may yet begin to question his wisdom in not boarding that flight.
